Under-fire US Soccer president Sunil Gulati will not run for re-election during the voting process in February, he announced on Monday.

Gulati told ESPN that stepping down is “the best thing for me personally, and for the federation.” Under Gulati’s watch, the United States failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986, with the final blow coming in a road loss to Trinidad & Tobago.

“Look, the general perception in the soccer community versus the people who vote in elections may be different right now,” Gulati said in the ESPN report. “But the loss to Trinidad was painful, regrettable and led to a lot of strong emotions. And to be honest, I think at this point, that’s overshadowed a lot of other things that are important. So fair or not, I accept that and think it’s time for a new person.”

The 58-year-old has been in charge of US Soccer since 2006. He served as vice-president for six years prior to his election.

The idea that Gulati may not run for re-election first surfaced in mid-October when he announced he would not resign his post at that time, but that he had not decided his intentions for the future.